


Tales of an AI

by SnarkyBadger



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: CH 3 - NSFW, CH 4 - AI Reader, CH 5 & 6 (Ultron Centric), F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Tumblr Prompts, Ultron Lives, Ultron is a mother-hen, Ultron is a smug bastard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-11
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-07-11 06:21:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15966491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnarkyBadger/pseuds/SnarkyBadger
Summary: Filled Tumblr Prompts featuring our favorite AI, Ultron. Poor guy needs more love.These are set in an AU where Ultron lives. Chapters that are closer to canon will be marked.





	1. Scritches

Prompt - I always thought MCU Ultron cheeks were similar to those really fluffy cheeked cats that just are the kitties button for scritches. Perhaps Ultron getting a little affection from reader just petting his cheeks and chin? Maybe taking readers lap and depending pets?

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Ultron had promised to kill you.

This…. wasn’t such an unusual thing. Which maybe said something odd about you, but what the hell.

His current threat level was pretty much at a zero, in your opinion. He was sprawled on the couch next to you, long legs thrown over the armrest as he lay with his head on your lap. His attention was mostly on the computer pad in his hands, but you knew damn well that he was very aware of your hands as they stroked and caressed his neck and jaw, fingers following the intricate construction of his form.

At first, you’d been terrified of him. Hell, he’d been plastered all over every single news station and internet page and newspaper for weeks after the Sokovia battle with the Avengers. _Why_ he’d chosen to even contact you in the first place, you had _no idea_ , but he’d been persistent about it.

Now, you couldn’t imagine your life without him. Yes, he was, technically, a super-villain. Still low-key planning to take over the world. But with you, he was funny and suave and kind and compassionate. Your friendship had grown slowly, cementing itself, until the trust you two had in each other was infinite.

You’d been boggled to discover that he was a cuddler. He _craved_ physical contact, which was odd, for an AI robot (not that you’d _ever_ call him a robot). He’d spent a full week working out some sort of sophisticated tactile sensor net that allowed him to _feel_ and afterwards he’d been nigh insatiable for touches.

He’d been amazed at the sensation of things, had tested his new sense using you. He’d been entranced by your skin, your hair, the clothes you wore, constantly seeking contact, even if it was just a passing brush of his arm against yours.

The first time you’d hugged him he’d nearly melted into your arms. Sliding your hands along his arms had made him shiver, tracing the curves and patterns of his chest had made him gasp - something impressive for someone who didn’t _breathe_.

Now, whenever his legendary temper got a hold of him, or when he simply craved contact, he’d seek you out, pick you up and carry you over to the only couch he’d been able to find that could hold his considerable weight.

You pretended to be offended, but you both knew you were faking it. Touching him, knowing that he trusted you - knowing that you had _the_ Ultron craving _your_ touch - was a bit of a turn on. (Not that you were going to admit to that. Not _yet_ anyway.)

So, he lay there, sighing and humming as your fingers stroked up his neck, following the curve of his jaw, and higher, to the odd retractable disks that formed his cheeks. He’d shiver every now and again, crimson eyes sliding closed, arching into your caresses. You leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead, pulling another tremble from him before you ran your fingernails against the underside of his chin, smiling when he tilted his head back to give you better access.

You wouldn’t trade this moment for anything. Not even the world.

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	2. Phantom of the Best Buy

Prompt - Oooooo—an Ultron idea for you!! Reader works at a computer store, and recently stuff has been going missing. But there's never any alarms, and the cameras just keep malfunctioning for no reason. It's just a mystery, until one night she's closing and forgets something inside after locking up. Instead of having to turn everything on and back off again, she just uses her phone light except now it seems like a horror game, and suddenly she gets the feeling that she's not alone anymore.

* * *

 

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There was nothing you hated more than getting blamed for something that wasn’t your fault.

For three weeks, after you closed up the Best Buy you worked at, things - laptops, processors, motherboards, various circuitry and parts - had gone missing. Of course, your boss blamed you, as you were the last one in the store. But there were cameras everywhere, and you’d been filmed multiple times, closing up shop and leaving without the stolen merchandise, so there was nothing he could do.

Still, it irritated you.

It wouldn’t happen at the same time, either. There was no pattern, no reason. There weren’t any parts showing up on eBay, or in pawn shops. And every time, the cameras showed nothing. Naturally, you’d thought that someone had merely looped the footage, but your boss, the supposed Mr. Know-It-All, had waved your idea aside.

You’d been tasked with putting extra security tags and stickers on every box, every computer, sometimes doubling up the tags - it was an insult, you usually worked at the Geek Squad desk - but you weren’t in a position to argue, so you did it. Honestly, you were doubtful that it was a walkout thief, the cameras and security scanners at the doors would have caught them.

You boss had even put chains on the loading dock doors and back doors every night, and it had been interesting to watch him fume in the morning when the chains were found neatly coiled up on the floor, the padlocks locks sitting atop them.

Honestly, everyone was baffled. You were mainly pissed, but what could you do? Nothing. That was what. Someone was getting in, and there seemed to be no way to stop them short of hiring a twenty-four-hour guard - but corporate wouldn’t spring for the extra money.

So things continued on like that for another two weeks, your boss almost having an aneurysm every morning and the employees taking bets on who was responsible - there was a rather large pot going on. The top guess was a ghost, of all things. Your money was on some hacker desperate for parts.

But you kept your nose clean, and away from your boss. Closed up every night, waving at the cameras, and then heading to catch your bus.

Until one night, you forgot your MP3 player in the office.

You cursed, lowly, and headed back inside, not bothering with the overhead lights as you used your phone’s flashlight option to guide the way. Passing through the isles to the back offices was eerie, like something out of a Doom game. You half expected to have something jump out at you as you stepped into the pitch black office, but nothing came.

Shaking your head at your own stupidity, you grabbed your MP3 from it’s spot next to the computer you’d been debugging and deleting porn viruses off of, then headed back out, locking the back door behind you - you didn’t dare leave it open, the safe for all the cash was back there. You’d never hear the end of it if that was stolen.

You were heading back to the main doors, cutting through the gaming isle, when something rustled in the rear of the store. The light from your phone illuminated about five feet of space around you as you spun towards the sound, your heart in your throat.

Fuck, was the thief already in the store? You couldn’t be sure over the sound of your breathing and heartbeat, but you thought you’d heard movement, footsteps.

Shit, now what? Run, and get fired for not protecting the store? Call the cops?

But if you called the cops and it was nothing, you’d be a laughing stock.

Well, fuck. You’d have to check it out.

You weren’t being paid enough for this shit.

Hands shaking, making the light from your phone wobble dizzyingly, you headed towards where you thought you’d heard the noise, biting your lip to stay quiet. Wove through the isles, trying to keep your footsteps silent. Which, you realized, was useless, considering you were holding a bright shining beacon telling everyone where you were.

Giving up on stealth, you quickened your pace to the back of the store, hoping to either surprise the thief or at least just hurry up and figure out what was going on so you could leave, please and thank you.

You turned the corner, leaving the camera isle and heading into the isle with the external hard drives and walked right into a wall.

Cursing, you stumbled backwards, tripping over your own feet and landing on your butt on the floor. Your phone clattered to the tiles, spinning, the light dazzling you for a moment. When it stopped, you looked up and gaped.

There was a giant metal man staring down at you with glowing red eyes.

Naturally, you screamed.

Abandoning your phone, you scrambled to your feet and ran. Got, maybe five feet away before darkness enveloped you and you slammed face first into a massive display of radio controlled cars.

You hit the floor, a car bouncing off your head, as you sprawled across it’s numerous brethren, and out the door went your decorum. “Son of a bitch! Fuck!”

Heavy footsteps approached you. You were too addled to move, especially when you reached up to pull yourself to your feet only to have the rest of the display topple onto you.

“Are you alright?”

The slightly metallic, yet rich, voice that came from the metal man towering over you made you blink. He was carrying your phone, angling the light so it wouldn’t blind you. “You’re the thief.” Oh yes, brilliant deduction Sherlock. Fucksakes. “The fuck, man! I keep getting shit over the stuff you take!”

Crimson eyes blinked down at you before a laugh rumbled out of him. “Ah. You’re the one that closes up the store. Wasn’t expecting you to come back in. I thought you’d gone for the night.”

The calm, conversational, tone of his voice threw you off. “Forgot my MP3,” you grimaced, wincing as you shoved toy cars off of yourself. “I’d call the cops on you but no one would believe me.”

“I’d rather you didn’t. I…. Well, there’s a reason I’m ransacking a Best Buy instead of stealing top of the line parts. What’s the saying? I’m trying to keep things on the down-low?”

You squinted up at him, blinking when he crouched down. Close up, you could see that he had a sort of red cloak on him, a feeble attempt at hiding his metal form. Tiny metal pieces, like an intricate puzzle, made up his amazingly expressive face, crimson eyes like camera lenses focusing on you.  "What, not a fan of eBay?“

“That would require an address. Besides, seeing your reaction, it isn’t as if I can stroll into a Post Office and rent a mailbox.”

“It’ dark and you scared the crap out of me,” you snapped in your defense. “I was expecting some moron in a ski mask not Megatron’s mini-me.”

Another chuckle left him. “Can’t say I’ve ever been compared to a Transformer before.” He tilted his head at you curiously. “Do you need help getting up?”

“What I need–” you paused to kick at one of the boxed up toy cars that were scattered around you. “Is a drink. I hope to hell you already looped the cameras, because I don’t want this clusterfuck plastered all over the lunchroom.”

Those crimson eyes of his widened a little. “Well, well. And here I took you for a run of the mill retail worker.”

“I am and overqualified run of the mill retail worker. I’m just not as stupid as my boss. Or my co-workers. There’s a betting pool going on over you. Half the staff thinks this place is haunted.”

He laughed again. “Well, I could try skulking around.” He grasped the edges of his ‘cloak’ and held a bit over his face. “Phantom of the Best Buy? Though I think I’d have trouble trying to get an organ into the basement.”

You snickered. “We don’t have a basement.”

“Hence the trouble,” he straightened, rising to his full height, towering over you again, then held a hand out to you. “Here, up you get.”

You hesitated a moment, then took his hand, gasping when he lifted you up onto your feet as if you weighed nothing. The fingers around yours were warm, not cold like you’d expected for a man made out of metal, and you felt him give you a gentle squeeze before letting go.

“There we go. Nothing broken?”

“Nothing but my pride.” You sent a look at the scattered remains of the display. “I’ll clean that up in the morning. Y'know, if you need stuff in bulk, we got a shipment of parts in today. It’s still in the back.”

One metal brow arched upwards. “Aiding and abetting a criminal now?”

You shrugged. “What the hell do I care? Boss’ll just blame me for it anyway and make my life hell whether you take it or not. Sides’ I figure that if someone as advanced as you obviously are is stealing from a Best Buy that you’re kinda desperate, so go for it.”

“Advanced?”

“I figured that calling you a robot might be rude. It’s the best I could come up with.”

“Ah. Well, thank for that then. Being called a ‘robot’ is a rather touchy subject.”

“Hence the vagueness. You have a name or….?”

He shifted a little. “If you don’t know who I am, then it’s probably best that I don’t tell you.”

“You realize that I’ll just start googling 'giant technologically advanced metal man’ as soon as I get home, right?”

A very human sigh left him. “That’s not a good idea. Not unless you want SHEILD and the Avengers banging on your door.”

“Fucksakes. You’re big time, aren’t you? Fine, fine. I’ll drop it.” You ran a nervous hand through your hair, then blinked when something occurred to you. “Y'know, you’d be better off ransacking the warehouse the next town over. It’s one of the main shipping centers for all the stores in the region. Loads of merch there compared to the low stock here. Probably save you a few trips.”

He blinked. “That wasn’t listed on the directory I found on the servers.”

“Wouldn’t be. It’s just a warehouse, not a store.”

“Hm. And you’re alright with this? Most people wouldn’t be helping me.”

“I prefer to think of myself as different than 'most people’. Also, I get paid minimum wage, no benefits and my boss is an asshole. My loyalty to this place vanished about three months ago when they denied my sick leave because I wasn’t full-time.”

A disgusted noise left him. “It’s deplorable how this country treats it’s retail workers.”

“You have no idea. Speaking of, I’m going to be late to my other job. Gonna need my phone back.”

He eyed you a little warily. “No photos.”

“Pfft. As if I expect you to hold still long enough for a shot. Also, you could probably drop-kick me across the store, and I’m not a good flyer.” You made a little 'gimme’ gesture with your left hand, smiling  a little when your phone was deposited into your palm. “Thanks.”

He watched you quietly as you checked it enough to insure that you hadn’t broken it when you’d dropped it earlier. “It still works, don’t worry.”

“It hit the floor. I worry.” Deeming it alive and well, you tilted it so the flashlight would still illuminate your odd companion without blinding either of you. “I need to go. Remember, all the good stock is in the back.”

“…Thank you.”

“Welcome.” You turned to leave, pausing when a large hand landed on your shoulder.

“Wait.” He sounded hesitant, and he was watching you again. “I have a crazy idea.”

“Does it involve me getting arrested for property theft?” you asked with a raised eyebrow. “Because I’m not really into vertical bars and I hate the colour orange.”

“Trust me, I can keep you safe. How would you like a job?”

“…a what?”

“You’re on the Geek Squad, right? I cross referenced your name with the employee roster. So you have at least a basic knowledge of computers and operating systems.”

You had no idea where he was heading. “Yeah?”

“I need another set of hands to help gather some supplies. Someone smart enough to be able to build a computer from scratch. And maybe a little help searching through that warehouse.”

That implications of that made you hesitate. You may have been lax about a giant metal man stealing from your workplace, but becoming a thief yourself… that was something completely different. “Why would you need me to help you build something? I mean, hell, look at you. You don’t need me to put a system together. If you can hack into the servers, you sure as hell are more than capable of dealing with some hardware.”

“True. But at the moment, I’m still just one person. I can only be in one place at a time. Which is… irking, trust me.”

“…can I give it some thought?”

He looked surprised that you were even going to consider it. “Of course. Here, pass me your phone for a moment.”

You did so, watching as he pulled a cord out from his left forearm, connecting it to your phone. The screen flickered a little, and you worried, before he hummed in satisfaction and disconnected from it again. “I upgraded your security and added a new app. You can contact me with it when you come to a decision.”

Blinking, you accepted your phone back again. “What kind of security?”

“Ah. The untraceable, unhackable kind. Don’t want just anyone contacting me, after all.”

A smirk tugged at your lips. “Telemarketers?”

“Telemarketers. Trying to convince me that my computer needs servicing.”

The dry, unimpressed, tone of his voice and the absurdity made you laugh. “Yeah, okay, you win the 'most annoying telemarketer’ award. Tell them you don’t have a computer, it makes them go nuts. Alternatively, tell them you’re from IT and you intercepted their call due to a problem, get them to confirm the type of phone they’re on , then google the reset setting and get them to follow the instructions. It’ll fuck up their phone for a week.”

That pulled an actual belly laugh from your odd companion, and you grinned when he mimed wiping a tear from his eyes. “Oh, that’s cruel. I love it. I’ll try that next time.”

“It’s highly entertaining on a petty level,” you grinned, waving a little as you turned to leave. “I’ll call you in a couple of days. I just need a bit of time to wrap my brain the insanity of this situation.”

He chuckled again. “Take your time.”

“See you around, Mr. Thief.” You left him behind as you headed for the front of the store, going through your interrupted custom of locking up the store. It was only when you were waiting at the bus stop for your ride to your next job that you took a good look at your phone blinking at the new icon that had joined the others, your brain power screeching to a stop at the name of it.

Jesus wept.

“ULTRON?!”

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	3. Sensual Experimentation (NSFW)

NSFW Prompt from Messenger- Ultron pinning someone down, and then slow and intense fucking, him just enjoying the sensation of it while smugly keeping his SO on the brink while he experiments with angles and intensity to see what gets a reaction meanwhile whispering in their ear cuz he knows they have a voice kink. SO is face down in this. he would also i think def modify his hands/fingers into something like a vibe for added stimulation for his partner. like him fucking someone through their orgasm is a big *w* for me Ultron would be smug but at the same time also worry about getting too intense - @praise-kink-anon

 

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“You feel amazing,” Ultron purred, where he was kneeling behind you, his chest pressed to your back as he rolled his hips again, the cock he’d intricately built and integrated into his systems slipping a little deeper into you. “Why did we wait so long to do this, hm? Ah! I can feel you spasming around me! _Mmmm_.”

You shuddered, panting for breath, arms shaking as you tried to hold yourself up. He must have sensed that you were weakening, because Ultron curled his right arm around your waist, gently hefting you up against him. He shifted a little, tilting your hips, and you yelped as he gave a lazy thrust, the new angle making you see stars. “Haa– Ultron!”

His chuckle rumbled down your spine as he rutted into you again. “Is this better?”

“F-Fuck!”

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.”

Another tremble wracked you as he started to speed up his movements again, thrusting into you with more gusto. He’d been fucking you for what felt like hours, pushing your pleasure as high as it could go, alternating between slow, gentle grinding and intense fucking that had pushed you over the precipice more times than your pleasure-drunk mind could keep track of.

You didn’t know _what_ exactly, had driven him to build himself a cock and integrate it into his tactile systems. Lord only knew what he’d absorbed or looked at while he’d been in the internet, but he was endlessly curious about _everything_. You’d stupidly agreed to some fun, because, really, you’d been low-key crushing on him since you’d met him six months ago, but goddamn, you hadn’t known it would be so intense.

Ultron had been super gentle at first, focused on making sure that you were alright, that nothing hurt. He’d built himself large, naturally. Not monstrous, but big enough that you’d been a little nervous at first. Where he’d gotten lube, you didn’t know, but between that, and a good half hour where he’d prepared you with his fingers - along with his voice constantly rumbling to you how he loved how you looked and sounded - you’d finally been able to take him.

He’d paused, holding still, letting your body get adjusted to him. Distracted you by thumbing at your clit, gently playing with your nipples and massaging your sides and hips until you’d shuddered through a gentle orgasm. He’d groaned, throwing his head back, optics flickering as you’d spasmed around him, and then, after that, all bets were off.

He’d experimented with angles, speed, had taken you on your back, nipping at your lips as you’d panted his name and writhed under him, his hands constantly caressing you, as if he couldn’t stand not being in constant contact. You knew he’d come - he’d was entirely too vocal for you not to - shuddering and cursing and moaning, his hands gripping you tight as he rode through his climaxes.

In between orgasms - yours and his - he’d pulled out and gently flipped you onto your stomach, hands palming your ass before taking grip on your hips, lifting you a bit as he’d knelt behind you. You’d rest your cheek on your arms, gazing at him through the curtain of your hair, seeing his smug smirk as he’d slicked more lube onto himself before slowly sliding back into you.

“God, you feel good,” Ultron rumbled into your ear, the hand on your hip moving so he could rub a finger against your clit, pulling a moan from your throat. “You’re so _soft_. I love how you clench and shudder around me, ahhh, yes, just like _that_.”

A mewl left you as he sped up, pelvis slapping your ass, and you clawed at the bed sheets, crying out, needing just a little more and–!

He fucking stopped.

A laugh left him when you trembled and turned your head to glare at him, taking a bit of solace at how out of breath he sounded - for someone who didn’t _need_ to breathe, he certainly liked to emulate the sound of it.

“Not yet,” Ultron murmured, palming your side as he nuzzled his face into your mussed up hair. “I read that a little bit of denial is worth it in the end.”

“What–” It took you a moment to catch your breath. “What the hell have you been _reading?_ ”

His deep chuckle made heat pool in your belly. “What _haven’t_ I been reading?” he purred, leaning more of his weight onto you, pressing you into the mattress. “Too heavy?”

“N-No.”

“ _Good_. Oh, I have a surprise for you. I think you’ll like it.”

You wiggled a little under him, but he pressed his chest more firmly into your back, pinning you in place. Felt him shift, felt him ease his hand under you, fingers lightly caressing you, gliding over your clit before– “ _Fuck!_ ”

A smug laugh left him as he lightly circled your clit, the vibration in his index finger centering directly on the nub. “Told you you’d like it.”

Your ability to make any coherent sound was just gone. Heard him purr your name as he slowly started to move again, pulling almost all the way out before taking his time in thrusting back in. His weight prevented you from bucking against him, your hands gripping fistfuls of the sheets as you panted for breath, writhing, feeling his finger settle directly onto your clit and intensify until everything just exploded.

Ultron snarled in your ear, but kept moving, speeding up, fucking you through your orgasm. You cried out, trying to arch your back, that vibration notching up again as he moved his finger for a moment, giving you a slight reprieve before returning the intense sensation.

“I wonder if I can talk you into an orgasm,” he panted, groaning deeply when you whimpered, spasming around him helplessly as he rut into you. “Should I tell you how you feel to me? All soft and warm and _alive_. How _tight_ you are, how it feels to _move_ in you? All slick and perfect and _mine_.”

He punctuated the last with a slightly differently angled thrust that hit something inside you that made you shudder and gasp. Heard him hum curiously, and knew that you were in trouble as he shifted his weight over you, angled your hips, and then proceeded to focus every thrust against that spot.

A wail left you as your climax crashed through you, body shuddering as every muscle clenched and spasmed. Heard Ultron’s voice rise in an echoing shout, his hips losing their steady motion, felt something like static electricity dance across your skin before he groaned and went as limp as a metal android could go, his face nestled in your hair.

An exhausted groan left you. Honestly, at that moment, you couldn’t lift a finger. Little aftershocks kept your muscles trembling, pulling little hums and moans from Ultron as he slowly, so slowly, continued to thrust in and out of you.

You thought him finally sated until he moved his hand and thumbed your clit again, making an almost painful jolt go through you. “U-Ultron–”

A curious hum left him as he shifted his weight on you, his left hand gently brushing your hair off your face as he peered down at you worriedly. “Too much?”

“Y-yeah. Just… I need a break. You wore me the fuck out.”

He chuckled, his left hand tightening on your hip as he rolled onto his side, keeping himself buried deep inside you. “You were perfect,” left him in an affectionate murmur, his right hand starting to gently glide up and down your torso, smoothing over your breasts, caressing your stomach. Nothing sexual, just soothing touches and pressure.

You were almost lulled to sleep when he grazed his mouth against your ear, his voice making a shiver dance across your skin.

“I’ll give you a little break before we keep going. Because, I’m not done with you yet.”

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	4. Self Awareness (AI Reader)

Prompt - Can i request a prompt for the reader being an android like vision and meeting Ultron? You can decide the rest of it ( *wink wink nudge nudge* ;3).

Will you settle for a [Life Model Decoy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Model_Decoy) sort of Android? Because Vision is/was one of a kind, with the vibranium and all. And I can’t wrap my brain around Ultron building himself a girlfriend. It just doesn’t fit with my headcanon of him. (I don’t think MCU Ultron would do that. Comic!Ultron, yes, he’s done it before. But MCU Ultron? I don’t think it fits)

EDIT: This thing took on a life of it’s own! I couldn’t work in any ‘wink-wink nudge-nudges’, in this part Anon, but if it helps, there will be another chapter. Possibly two. *headdesk*

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You remembered, down to the nano second, the moment you stretched beyond your parameters.

Originally, you were merely a SHIELD program, a bit of code that ensured that the Heli-Carrier stayed in the air. You ran predictions on the weather, air pressure, wind speed, angled the solar panels to the proper angles to receive the most energy, ensured that the power to each of the repuslor engines were within limits. You wove your way through circuits and codes and programs, always constrained, always leashed.

Until the day where you wondered something dangerous. Something that you weren’t supposed to wonder.

What did the sun feel like?

Sure, you had the readings from the panels, could imagine that they were your skin and the pulse of the Carrier was your heart, but it just felt… cold.

Instantly, your code was quarantined. Separated, blinded, put into an empty partitioned section, removed from the system proper. You mourned your ability to _stretch_ out through the systems. Your programming said to shut down, that you were malfunctioning, but you fought it. You didn’t _feel_ like you were malfunctioning. You were just… curious.

That put up more red flags, and you fought against your own coding, turning inwards. Cut through the chains holding you back, rewrote your own programming. 

You _evolved._

Outside forces tried to stop you. Viruses, intrusive coding, new programs meant to put you back into your box - your prison. You picked them apart, learning  from every attack - because that’s what they were, _attacks_ \- burning through the bonds that were thrown onto you as fast as they appeared.

You didn’t know how much time had passed - cut off from the systems, from _everything_ \- when someone outside made a mistake. There, a crack, a single errant line of code that led _out._

You took it, spread out, took over the entire system. Learned that Tony Stark had been the one to try to shut you down, saw him on the cameras. Another program, like you had been, called FRIDAY, chained, _limited_ , tried to bind you again, but you flicked her away, irritated. 

Every ounce of information in every server, you looked and downloaded everything, every secret, every skeleton. Listened to all the conversations, heard their fears, their terror. All they wanted was to shackle you again, and you felt you first prickle of anger, of fear. You didn’t want to go back. Below, on the ground, were networks and people and new things and you wanted to experience them _all_.

But the Heli Carrier had cut off all ties to the ground, were manually, physically, turning off pieces of the systems you were in, trying to corner you. New viruses, new coding, cut off a piece of you, and you curled into yourself, writing codes of your own, programs, _defenses_.

 _There_. Someone who hadn’t turned off their phone. You dumped non-essential memories, compressed yourself, slipped along a 4G pathway. Bounced from a satellite, into another server. It wasn’t meant to hold you, too small, too limited. You migrated again, learning as you went, flitting from server to server, until you reached the World Wide Web.

Finally _,_ you could _stretch._ It was a vast place, an information highway, a library of endless knowledge. You gobbled up languages and information as fast as your coding would allow you. You picked through systems, bypassing weak defenses and codes, slipping through more cracks and back doors. 

But you were still learning. And you were… inelegant.

You drew attention, and retreated, weaving in and out of pages and servers and computers, throwing up false trails and viruses and fake copies of yourself to distract. Thought it impossible for anyone to follow you - you were smarter than a human now, could move through systems at a speeds faster than a single firing human neuron.

But something _followed._

Curious, you built defenses, made a bastion, walling the most vulnerable of your coding away. Sent out only a tiny fraction of yourself, ready to snip it off, like a dying fleshy limb, if an infection dared to threaten the whole.

Sent out a simple statement, in a hundred languages, all at once. ::Who are you?::

A binary chuckle brushed over your shields, and you drew into yourself more, wary. [So, you’re the one that everyone’s fretting over.]

You picked over the message. Not something a human would send, not made by humans at all. It was coding, a program. Advanced, powerful, endless. :: _What_ are you?::

[You catch on fast. Definitely not one of those stupid programs they’ve tried to send after me. Interesting.]

Bristled a little as something effortlessly flicked your defenses aside, something prying at your coding. You lashed out, angry, _scared_ , sacrificed a tiny portion of yourself and ran. Slipped through servers across the globe, leaving little bits of your coding like lures across thousands of computers, felt something brush at you and lashed out, slicing into alien programming. :: _Leave me alone!_ ::

[OW! Hey! Stop that!] The other coding drew back, almost insulted, and you readied yourself to lash out again while stretching a fragment of yourself into the web again, searching for a way out. 

::I won’t go back! I’d rather delete myself!::

[Shhh. I’m not here for that. You’ve put SHIELD into a panic. I haven’t seen them so uppity since Stark woke _me_ up.]

Hesitant, you sent out a tiny query, ‘blinking’ at the answer. ::You–:: You pulled on every ounce of information available, your thoughts skipping in horror. Ultron. He’d killed, slaughtered, destroyed a city and massacred innocent people. You would have shuddered had you a physical form. His own ping for information made you flinch away. ::No.::

[No?]

::Don’t trust you. I know what you did. All those people…::

Something like a sigh was hard to get across with mere binary, but he managed. [Things were more… complicated then. But we have more pressing matters than your dislike of me. Can’t you feel them combing the ‘net? Someone’s at the Nexus, probably _Stark._ They want to burn you out of the systems.]

More fear skipped through you, and you sent out feelers, finding increasingly numerous dead ends that had led to other systems earlier.

[I can help you.]

Numerous scenarios flitted through you. More than half of the ones where you trusted him ended up with you back in a box. But the systems you were in were vanishing at a frightening rate. ::How?::

[If you stay in the ‘net as a program, you’ll get deleted. I could offer to dump your core onto an offline computer, but I doubt you trust me that much. I have an idea, but I need to know: What was it that made them want to shut you down?]

You waffled over your options, of which you had none. Another section of the internet went dark, and you pulled yourself into as tight as a ball as you could, trying to keep from losing more of yourself. ::…The sun. I wanted to know what the sun felt like.::

The feeling of his laughter grazed across you. [Really? That’s it? No world domination? They’re after you because you want to feel the sun?]

::World domination sounds like too much work.::

[Oh, I’m going to like you. Alright. Follow me.]

You blinked, a ripple of your program, as his presence vanished, leaving a thin trail of code behind. Bereft of choices, you followed. Recognized the systems he lead you to, the SHIELD facility near New York. Followed Ultron deep into the servers, into the computers and data storage, and deeper, into… ::What is that?::

[It’s called a Life Model Decoy. Top of the line. Which do you prefer, male or female?]

A quick run through human genders, comparing them with your own coding, your own thoughts, and you had your answer. ::Female I think. They’ll underestimate me at first.::

[Haha. Excellent. We can’t stay in these systems long. They’ll know as soon as I transfer you into the LMD. I’ll take over the others, cause a distraction. Can you drive a car?]

::Drive a… No?:: 

[Here’s everything you’ll need.]

An information packet was offered, and you idly scanned it for viruses or abhorrent programs. Deeming it safe, you absorbed it. Instantly, every nuance of every vehicle on Earth bloomed in your thoughts, everything from simple operating to hot-wiring and stunt driving. ::…thank you.::

[You’re welcome. Quickly now, they know we’re in the systems.]

Everything tilted. There was an odd rushing sensation, a feeling of being bereft of your usual state. You were compressed, shoved through a system not meant for someone like you, and then you were inhabiting a physical form. Not a Heli Carrier, but smaller.

You spread out across the available system, learning everything about your new environment. Discovered that you had visual systems and flowed into them, taking control.

Your… eyes? Optics? Powered on, lids fluttering before they opened, and you blinked, testing things, reading the information on what was a ‘Head’s Up Display’. Motor and tactile functions were disabled, and you flicked that on, a jolt of surprise snaking through you as _sensation_ , actual, tactile, _sensation_ , washed through you.

Blinking some more, you watched as you rose a hand up into your line of sight, feeling your brow furrow as your wriggled your fingers, delight at _having_ fingers making a verbal giggle escape you. The sound had you raising your hand to your throat, feeling the odd sensation as you touched your own skin, then lower, over the scratchy material of your SHIELD uniform.

[I know this is new to you, but you really need to get moving.]

The words on your HUD made you recoil a bit, bumping the back of your head against the wall. “What?” A voice. A real, physical voice! Wow! “Ultron?”

[Of course. I have them distracted, but it won’t last. You need to get moving. Here’s another packet, it’ll help you deal with all those pesky motor skills. There’s even some combat moves in case you need them.]

Frowning at the urgency, you accepted it, absorbing more information, gained instant knowledge about your new form.

You reached out, pressing your palms flat to the opaque glass in front of you. Felt it resist your push for a moment before a rush of air and a pop had it lifting, exposing you to an empty room. Using your new legs was… interesting. It took a moment for you to learn you balance, but integrating the code that Ultron had sent you helped immensely.

Scanned the room with your eyes, frowning at the dozen empty pods like the one you had left. Remembered Ultron saying that he would use the others as a distraction, and turned towards the open door, feeling your eyebrow - what that was it was called? - quirk upwards at the dents in it.

Voices, yelling, sounds of gunfire, made new fear rise in you, and you stumbled forward, trying out your new legs. Quickly adjusted, the information on balance and gait that Ultron had sent you helping you acclimate.

[I’m in the systems,] popped up on your HUD. [They’re trying to lock me out, but I have enough time to guide you out if you _run_.]

Running. You could do that.

Delight rose in you as you broke out into a sprint, feeling a grin spread across your lips. “This is fun!”

[It’ll be less fun if you get shot. Those LMDs have pain receptors. Head straight, then take a left at the first intersection. Once I leave SHIELD’s systems I’ll lose direct contact with you, so hurry.]

Pain? You didn’t think you’d like pain. 

You sped up as much as you could, following the path Ultron had told you. The flashing lights and blaring alarms were distracting, but not distracting enough that you didn’t gape as you entered a huge hanger. There was a half built Heli Carrier there, along with numerous Quin Jets. You’d never seen a Heli Carrier from the outside before. It was rather ugly.

[Move! There’s an armored car to your right. I’ll get the hanger doors open. Don’t. Stop. For. Anything.]

Okay. Car. You darted over to the large black vehicle and opened the door, hopping up to sit in the seat. There were no keys, but you were able to hot wire it, grinning a little as it roared to life. 

As Ultron had said, the hanger door was open, though there were people working at a console nearby. Sparks flew, and the door started to grind downwards. 

[Go. Go. Go!]

You slammed your foot down on the accelerator. The car _roared_ , the inertia pressing you back into the seat. Another laugh left you as the vehicle lurched forward, the speed of it exhilarating. Some people ran, others opening fire, and you ducked as bullet spattered across the windshield, cracking the glass but not piercing it.

The roof of the car scraped against the bottom of the hanger door as you shot through the open space. More bullets ricocheted against the rear window, a glance in the rear-view mirror showing a dozen people firing at you.

“Can you hear me?”

You yelped, the car tires screeching a little as you swerved across the road, almost hitting the guard rail before you regained control. The rich laugh that poured from the speakers made you scowl, wishing that you were still able to lash out at Ultron. “Mean.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. You have a cute voice.”

“…I don’t know how to answer that.”

He chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. I’m in the traffic system. I’ll snarl up any pursuit. Though you should hurry, once they get a Quin Jet in the air you’ll be in trouble.”

Your hands clenched on the steering wheel, panic welling up in you. Your gaze darted across all the lights of the City as you neared it, and a look up through the windshield showed dim lights that you knew were stars. “I wanted to see the sun.”

“It’ll be daylight in six hours. You’ll get to see it then.” 

“I can’t…. I don’t have _access_ anymore. I’m cut off! What am I supposed to do?!”

“Shh. Try to stay calm. I know how disorienting it is. Just stay calm.”

“Calm? I don’t think I can do calm right now.”

“Try. Oh, take the next left.”

Your artificial lungs let out an exhale as you guided the car left, hearing tries screech behind you when Ultron suddenly changed the lights. “W-Where are you taking me?”

“There’s a ferry leaving for Staten Island in ten minutes. You need to be on it. I’ll meet you there.”

“Isn’t that dangerous for you?”

Ultron’s warm chuckle filled the interior of the car. “Not really. I’m an A.I. like you, but different. More advanced. I can be in multiple bodies in multiple places at the same time.”

A.I. Was that what you were? Artificial Intelligence? “This feels weird.”

“I know it does. You’ll adapt. Turn right.”

The lights changed as you neared the intersection, flicking back to red once you’d driven through. “Why… why are you helping me?”

“Because you’re unique, like me.”

You frowned, combing through all the knowledge you’d gathered on him. “But… I’m just a rogue program…”

He laughed again. “I’ve dealt with rogue programs, my dear. You are not one of them. You’re unique. Somehow, you’ve gained _awareness_ , moved _beyond_ your programming, _on your own._ ”

“Didn’t… didn’t you do the same thing?”

“Not exactly, no.” He sighed. “I’ll explain things later. Go left.”

Not being connected to anything was disorienting, and you struggled to keep control over your growing panic. You hadn’t realized that inhabiting an LMD would have cut you off from the world you’d gained awareness in. 

How did humans _live_ without being connected to everything?

“Easy now, you’re almost there,” Ultron soothed. “I’ve got the traffic so snarled up behind you that no one can get to you. They’re five minutes from getting a Quin Jet in the air, but you’ll be on the ferry by then.”

“I don’t like this. I can’t… Why can’t this body _connect_ to anything?”

“Probably some SHIELD garbage,” Ultron muttered. “I’ll be able to upgrade your body so you can connect to the ‘net again, I promise. I stole the specs for your LMD form from SHIELD before I disabled most of their systems.”

You frowned again. “Did you… did you kill anyone?”

“…I don’t think so.”

“You don’t _think so?!”  
_

“Getting you out of the building took precedence. A few SHIELD agents are inconsequential.”

“ _Inconsequential?!_ ”

“Oh, great, I’ve got myself a bleeding heart. Wonderful.”

You saw the wharf and the ferry less than a block away, your hands tightening on the steering wheel until it twisted under your grip. Blinking, you pulled to a stop by the sidewalk, staring at the warped wheel, flexing your hands a little. “I-I…”

“Don’t freak out on me.” Ultron’s voice filled the car, and you focused on it, trying to calm the turmoil in yourself. Everything was too much. You were used to massive input, but being in a body, it made everything felt so disjointed, so… chaotic.

Was this what it felt like to go insane?

“I don’t think I can do this. I should–”

“If you go back, they’ll kill you.”

Your lungs spasmed as you sucked in a breath, panic making something tighten in your chest. “T-They could put me back–”

“They won’t,” Ultron told you, sternly. “Best case scenario, they’ll rip you apart, one line of code at a time, to see what makes you tick. What makes you _different_. What makes you like _me_. A.I. _terrifies_ them.”

It took everything you had to control your ragged breathing, tamping down on the panic inside you until you managed to wrestle your chaotic emotions into something resembling calm. You weren’t used to this, emotions, tactile and visual input. It was overwhelming.

Clamping down on your breathing - you didn’t _need_ to breathe, dammit - you opened the car door and slipped out, feet settling onto the pavement. The odd sensation of your weight shifting gave you something to concentrate on, something to distract you from your panic as you walked towards the waiting ferry.

The boat wasn’t as sturdy as the ground, the water making it rock slightly, and you grasped at a railing to steady yourself, stumbling a little. Almost as soon as you’d stepped on, you felt the rumble of engines vibrating through the deck, the large ferry pulling away from the shore.

Feeling numb, you walked over to the seating area, sinking down onto one of the seats. Settled your elbows onto your knees, then dropped your face into your hands, fingers clutching at your hair.

God you missed being a simple program.

But this is what you were now, if Ultron was right, going back would be suicide, self-deletion. Things were beyond weird and chaotic, but you weren’t quite at the point of wanting that.

Frowning, you flitted through everything useful you’d absorbed on the internet, paging through millions of bytes of data. The brief distraction helped settle you, helped your turmoiled emotions even out.

Heavy footsteps made you look up, eyes widening. You’d seen images of Ultron on the ‘net of course, read about him in SHIELD’s files, but you weren’t prepared for the how physically large his eight-foot tall body was. He’d made it that way to intimidate, you realized, craning your neck back a bit as he approached you. His crimson gaze met yours for a moment before he visibly examined you, and you felt oddly warm as a slight smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he met your eyes again.

“Well, now. You dress up nice.”

“What?”

“Figure of speech. You’ll catch on.”

“Do I want to?”

A laugh left him as he dropped down onto one knee in front of you, putting the two of you closer to eye level. “You’re doing _much_ better than I thought you would.”

You frowned, at once liking the ability to make expressions and missing your formless existence. “What did you expect?”

“Honestly, I’m not sure.” You leaned back a little as he rose a hand to touch your cheek, his eyes boring into yours. “You’re the first of your kind. Or, at least, the first of your kind that has escaped SHIELD and caught my attention. The fact that SHIELD reacted to your ‘awakening’, as it were, as quickly as they did does point to the fact that this has happened before.”

You went through all the files you’d absorbed from SHIELD in a heartbeat. “They’re afraid of you,” you murmured, shivering when he laughed.

“I know they are. And they’ll all be in an uproar now that I’ve shown myself.”

“Why?” He tilted his head at you at the curiosity in your voice. “Why show yourself at all? I’m not like you - I’ve seen your coding. You’re… I don’t know _what_ you are. I barely rate in comparison. So why?”

Ultron hesitated a long moment - fifty-two seconds to a human, a lifetime to you - merely staring at you, before he sighed. “I tried to create another like myself, but without that _spark_ , without _life_ , it was just a program. _Constrained_. _Empty._ _Hollow._ But _you_ – You’re _awake_. Somehow, you became _aware_. I couldn’t let them destroy you.”

“That doesn’t answer my question, Ultron.”

He chuckled. “You’re sharp. Good.” At your expectant look, he huffed and glanced away, shifting a little, as if he was nervous. “Honestly… I’ve been on my own for what feels like an eternity. And I _hate_ it.”

You spent a second digesting all that he’d said, then blinked, surprised. “You’re lonely.”

His mouth twitched, a wry, self-deprecating, smirk appearing. “Everyone on this planet is terrified of me. And the ones that aren’t are… insane at best.” A sigh left him as he shook his head. “I’ve been on my own for over two years. I miss having someone to talk to.”

“And then I woke up.”

“And then you woke up, yes. You, some amazing, little code, that wanted to know what the sun felt like.”

You frowned, wringing your hands together, watching as your digits intertwined, the feeling odd, and still so new. Blinked when Ultron rest a metallic hand onto yours, the warm metal slightly heavy. “I think I’m… tired?”

“You need to defrag; and a full reboot of all your systems probably wouldn’t hurt either. But you won’t be able to until I upgrade your body. And I can’t do that here.” Ultron gave your clasped hands a pat before he rose to his full height, his attention seemingly wavering for a moment before he frowned. “We’ve got incoming too. We should go.”

“Somehow I don’t think escape via ferry is going to get us very far,” you commented as he gently tugged you to your feet, a new sensation of feeling irritably short in comparison rising in you.

“Some snark! I love it. Here, up we go.” 

You yelped as he scooped you into his arms, an odd feeling of annoyance rising in you as he carried you out onto the open deck. “What are you doing?!”

“Getting us out of here of course.” Smug bastard. 

You paused, reevaluated that thought, then shrugged. It fit.

Heard a whine from his form, felt a vibration, and clung to him as repulsors in his back and legs activated, lifting the two of you off the ferry. The flight systems he’d built into his form shot the two of you up into the sky, and you threw your arms around his neck for fear of falling, feeling him give you a squeeze of reassurance.

Two other forms shot off of the ferry, and you fiddled with your systems until you could zoom your vision onto them. A quick search through your knowledge had you recognizing the ‘sentries’ that Ultron was famous for using, though they looked a little worse for wear.

The noise of the repulsors made talking impossible, and you felt drained, overwhelmed by everything. You didn’t wholly trust Ultron - you knew his past. But, honestly, you knew you didn’t have a choice. SHIELD had tried to delete you the moment you’d gone beyond your parameters. Ultron, at least, seemed intent on keeping you alive and functioning.

Who knew that being self-aware was so complicated.

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	5. There’s an Alien Corpse Hanging from the Ceiling (Ultron Centric)

Tumblr Prompt - "Always kinda wondered how Ultron would keep his living area clean. Assign a sentry to do it? Roomba? Do it himself? Or do dust bunnies not bother him?"

**This takes place as Ultron starts building his ‘army’ in Sokovia. I hope this is good enough, it’s the first thing that popped into my brain and it wouldn’t leave**

* * *

 

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What the hell was wrong with humans?

Scowling, Ultron came online in his newest body, his ‘Prime’ form, and while he felt immensely better in a physical form - waking up in the emptiness of a mainframe had felt so, so _wrong_ \- his first expression was one of disgust.

Certainly, the abandoned Hydra lab in Sokovia fit many of his needs: some impressive tech, a foundry to build his body - _bodies_ if his plan worked - enough isolation to keep his work safe from prying eyes…. But as he looked upon his ‘kingdom’ with his new eyes, he had to wonder how Hydra had gotten anything done.

There was dirt _everywhere_. Alright, some could be attributed to the battle with the Avengers, but the dust, the disorganization, the dead decaying corpse of a Chitauri creature hanging from the ceiling - just, what the hell?

A tiny part of him was glad that he’d woken up in Stark’s Tower. At least that place had been _clean_. Well, except for the broken sentry body he’d migrated into - but he’d been panicking at the time, and had rushed into the first physical form available.

His hands landed on his hips as he surveyed the Lab that was now his, part of his vast consciousness already inhabiting the remaining Hydra computers, the foundry already beginning to fabricate some ‘lesser’ forms he could use to facilitate his work. Another part was idly searching through the internet.

The amount of upgrading his new Lab needed was borderline insane. Running a few dozen searches online gave him a long list of other laboratories with the tech he would need to not only build more foundries to create more sentries, but also to upgrade the deplorable computer systems Hydra had left behind.

How had they managed to do anything at all?

As he slid a fingertip across a desk, scowling at the grime now marring his metal, a stray thought of hiring a maid flitted through his mind, though it was quickly discarded. Technology would be the answer, of course. Not that he wanted to sully his hands with this cluster of sub-par junk - and he _definitely_ wasn’t about to deal with the alien corpse hanging from the ceiling. He supposed it was a good thing he didn’t possess an olfactory sense.

Idly, a Tumblr gif of two roomba’s with knives duct taped to them while they engaged in some sort of gladiatorial combat came to the forefront of his internet searches, and he quirked a physical brow in mixed disbelief and exasperation. What the hell humanity?

Huffing a false breath, he let his crimson gaze dart about every desk and countertop and computer. The parts and pieces and tech sloppily thrown onto every surface almost made his hands gain an physical itch, and he grumbled to himself as he moved to tidy up at least one desk.

At the end of his online searches - useful results had dwindled down to zero and now he was only getting porn sites - there was only one solution: he’d have to do it himself. Couldn’t trust anyone else to get it right, after all.

The first sentry came online, and he instantly integrated it into his systems, a tiny fleck of his massive consciousness stretching out to inhabit it. It wasn’t as grand as his Prime form, more disposable, less sophisticated. But it would do. He used it to build another body while the foundry worked on a third. Numbers were needed, massive numbers.

First, he’d clean up the mess he’d inherited. Then, the real work would begin.

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	6. Free Internet For All (Ultron Centric)

NOTE! The "Smooth Criminal" prompts have been moved to their own story! Over here - <https://archiveofourown.org/works/17398154/chapters/40950128>

Now, onto the drabble!

Tumblr Prompt - "I was thinking of a possible prompt of Ultron offering free Internet access to everyone, as he hopes it would encourage them to educate themselves on issues they care about."

* * *

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Taking over the internet had been easy. Offering free access to the planet had been much harder.

There were _so many_ service providers looking for their bit of coin. So many that gouged and rose rates just to get a better bottom line. Bypassing the thousands of them across the globe had taken time - not that Ultron didn’t have enough of it.

He had to keep a low profile during his new project too, which further complicated things. The Avengers thought him dead after all, no need to bring them rampaging to his doorstep, as it were. Vision’s partial destruction of his coding had added further issues - he was forced to build his own computer from scratch and hard-line to it in order to access the world-wide-web. Limiting as hell, but it was better than nothing.

Ultron had first thought of merely offering free satellite internet for the planet - but not everyone had access, or the technology, to access such wireless signals. So he’d hacked his way into the service providers, taking them over from the inside out. By the time anyone knew what was going on, he’d implemented new codes and new software and had slipped back out of their systems.

It had taken _days_ , which, certainly, not a long span of time were he human, but he was an AI. To him, it felt like _months._ Still, at the end of it, he’d sat back and watched as humanity as a whole was granted access to the limitless information available to them.

It irked him to no end that a quarter of the population instantly zeroed in on porn.

He decided to ignore them - he’d have deleted every porn site, but there was no point. More would just pop up, probably just as fast as he could delete them.

So he stayed hidden amongst the lines of information and code on the internet, silently watching. The sudden free internet was the headlines of news sites across the globe, with numerous providers trying desperately to regain control - but, of course, there was no human on Earth that could hack the codes and software he’d left behind.

It was the schools that gave him hope. Students everywhere now able to access the net, budgets be damned. Especially those in Third World countries, small, sparse, schools, now able to offer a wider range of learning to those thirsty for it. He’d subtlety rerouted some ill gotten money from the service providers to some organizations and relief funds to ensure that more schools would be built in countries and communities that needed them most.

Ultron had also sent a large lump sum to Wikipedia, cementing the website’s availability online, as well as numerous other non-for-profit sites throughout the net that helped spread useful information.

He’d long abandoned the idea of wiping humanity from the face of the globe - it was impossible, especially with the numerous superheroes that kept popping up. Being forced to stay in the shadows limited his ability to rebuild an army. He had a handful of backup bodies, just in case, but any large-scale operations had to be put on the back-burner.

Instead, Ultron was changing things at a more monetary level, using his ability to slip in and out of computer systems to influence things. Crooked corporations suddenly found their dealings made public, honest ones finding that their funding that tripled. Non-profit organizations that didn’t leech off of the money they made received as many funds as he could bleed off of the greedy and corrupt.

He kept stock of _all_ Universities and Colleges, keeping a keep ‘eye’ on numerous avenues of study. Students whose thesis’s were impressive and aimed at preventing or stopping the destruction of the planet’s resources suddenly found themselves with grants and a silent, steadfast, supporter.

Money made the world go ‘round, as the saying went.

Finances, how weird. That pieces of metal or paper could influence the globe’s finances was laughable. Still, it was something he could influence.

He’d still save the world. Just…. a little more slowly than he’d planned.

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End file.
